Method for forming an optical fiber array

ABSTRACT

A method for forming an optical fiber array. A substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface is provided. The substrate is provided with a plurality of apertures extending through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface. In addition, a plurality of fibers are provided. The fibers have fiber ends with a diameter smaller than the smallest diameter of the apertures. A first fiber is inserted in a first corresponding aperture, from the first surface side of the substrate, such that the fiber end is positioned in close proximity of the second surface. The inserted first fiber is bent in a predetermined direction such that the fiber abuts a side wall of the first aperture at a predetermined position. After the first fiber is bent, a second fiber is inserted in a second corresponding aperture, from the first surface side of the substrate, such that the fiber end is positioned in close proximity of the second surface. The inserted second fiber is bent in conformity with a shape of the first fiber, such that the fiber abuts a side wall of the second aperture at a predetermined position. The bent fibers are bonded together using an adhesive material.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/452,558, filed on Apr. 20, 2012, which claims priority from U.S.provisional application No. 61/477,228 filed on 20 Apr. 2011 and U.S.provisional application No. 61/479,263 filed on 26 Apr. 2011. Bothapplications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an arrangement of optical fibers. The inventionfurther relates to a method of forming an optical fiber array. Finally,the invention relates to a modulation device and a lithographicapparatus comprising such arrangement.

2. Description of the Related Art

Charged particle multi-beamlet systems are known in the art, for examplefrom U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,804 and/or from W02009/127659, both in the nameof the applicant, the latter one, being specifically adapted for veryhigh volume throughput operation. Such lithography system uses aplurality of charged particle beamlets to transfer a pattern to a targetsurface. The system may operate with a continuous radiation source orwith a source operating at constant frequency. Pattern data are sent bymeans of pattern data carrying light beams to a modulation device. Themodulation device may then include light sensitive elements capable ofconverting received light signals into corresponding electric signals.The electric signals are then used to modulate the beamlets byelectrostatic deflection. Finally, the modulated beamlets aretransferred to the target surface.

Modulated light beams may be transferred using optical fibers. However,in order to obtain accurate data transfer, such optical fibers need tobe aligned very accurately with respect to the light sensitive elementsto allow accurate and reliable data transfer. In multi-beam chargedparticle lithography systems as described above the number of opticalfibers is extremely high, and may easily be in the order of 10,000.Consequently, positioning of the fibers needs to be done veryaccurately. Such accurate placement is not straightforward. Furthermore,the volume being occupied by such large amount of optical fibers ispreferably as small as possible, to enable the apparatus to be oflimited size. Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide anoptical fiber arrangement or fiber array with very accurate positioningof the fibers, while occupying limited space.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides in one aspect a method of forming an opticalfiber array, the method comprising: providing a substrate having a firstsurface and an opposing second surface, the substrate being providedwith a plurality of apertures extending through the substrate from thefirst surface to the second surface; providing a plurality of fibers,the fibers having fiber ends with a diameter smaller than the smallestdiameter of the apertures; for each fiber, inserting, from the firstsurface side of the substrate, the fiber in a corresponding aperturesuch that the fiber end is positioned in close proximity of the secondsurface and bending the fiber in a predetermined direction such that thefiber abuts a side wall of the aperture at a predetermined position; andbonding the bent fibers together using an adhesive material.

The apertures in the substrate may be arranged in an array at positionscorresponding to an array of light sensitive elements such as photodiodes. The substrate may be used to position the fiber ends atpositions corresponding to an array of light sensitive elements such asphoto diodes, the second surface of the substrate facing the lightsensitive elements and the first surface facing away from them. Thefiber ends may be positioned so that light emitted from the fiber endsis directed onto the light sensitive elements.

The fibers may have an outer jacket or coating which is stripped fromthe portion of the fibers inserted into the apertures, or the fibers maybe inserted into the apertures without stripping. The fiber ends have adiameter smaller than the smallest diameter of the apertures, so thatstripping the outer jacket or coating will reduce the required diameterof the apertures.

The fibers are inserted from the first surface side of the substratesufficiently far into the apertures so that the fiber ends are flushwith the second surface, or are inside the aperture but close to thesecond surface, or extend slightly outside the aperture. Alternatively,the fibers may be inserted all the way through the apertures and theprotruding portions of the fibers may be cut off to result in the fiberends being positioned in close proximity of the second surface.

Each fiber is inserted into a corresponding aperture from the firstsurface side of the substrate, leaving a length of fiber extending outfrom the aperture at the first surface side, and the extending length offiber is bent in a predetermined direction. All of the fibers may bebent in the same direction. The amount of bending of each fiber issufficient to cause at least a portion of the fiber positioned in thecorresponding aperture to be pushed into abutment with a side wall ofthe aperture at a predetermined position. The bending of each fiber maybe performed by a predetermined amount and at a predetermined positionsufficiently close to the corresponding aperture so that at least aportion of the fiber positioned in the corresponding aperture is pushedinto abutment with a side wall of the aperture at a predeterminedposition. The fibers may each have a length of fiber extending out fromthe aperture at the first surface side of the substrate, and at least aportion of the extending fiber lengths may be bent in a predetermineddirection. The apertures in the substrate may be arranged in atwo-dimensional array having rows, the fibers each having a length offiber extending out from the apertures at the first surface side of thesubstrate, and the bending of the fibers may be performed by bending thefibers inserted into a first row of the apertures at a first radius ofcurvature, and bending the fibers inserted into a next adjacent row ofthe apertures at a second greater radius of curvature.

The bent fibers may be stacked in a predefined spatial arrangement, andmay be stacked in a rectangular arrangement. The fibers may each have alength of fiber extending out from the aperture at the first surfaceside of the substrate. At least a portion of the extending fiber lengthsmay be arranged to run substantially parallel to the first surface. Atleast a portion of the extending fiber lengths may be arranged to runsubstantially parallel to each other in the same direction in apredetermined spatial arrangement. The predetermined spatial arrangementmay comprise equidistant spacing of the extending fiber lengths in anarray formation, and spacing elements may be located between theextending fiber lengths to position the extending fiber lengths withrespect to each other.

At least a portion of the extending fiber lengths may be bonded togetherusing an adhesive material. The portions of the extending fiber lengthswhich are bonded together may include the bent portions or unbentportions or both bent and unbent portions. The adhesive material maycomprise a glue, an epoxy, or an epoxy encapsulant. The bonding maycomprise curing the adhesive applied to the fibers. The curing maycomprise exposing the adhesive to UV light, and/or may comprise applyingheat to the adhesive.

The fiber ends may be secured within the apertures. Securing the fiberends in the apertures may be executed after insertion of all of thefibers in corresponding apertures. The fiber ends may be secured in theapertures using an adhesive. Prior to inserting the fibers in theapertures, an adhesive may be applied onto the fiber ends, and securingthe fiber ends may comprise curing the adhesive applied on the fiberends. The curing may comprise exposing the adhesive to UV light, and/ormay comprise applying heat to the adhesive. Alternatively, the fiberends may be secured by clamping.

The method may further comprise polishing the second surface of thesubstrate. The polishing may include polishing the fiber ends and thesecond surface at the same time.

The apertures may have a cross-sectional shape consisting of a circularportion and an additional portion in the form of a groove, and thefibers may be bent in such direction that the predetermined position atwhich the fibers abut the side wall of the apertures is within theadditional portion. The groove may form a wedge shape, the fibersabutting two opposing portions of the wedge shape. The amount of bendingof each fiber may be sufficient to cause at least a portion of the fiberpositioned in the corresponding aperture to be pushed into the groove.The apertures in the substrate may be arranged in an array at positionscorresponding to an array of light sensitive elements such as photodiodes, and the groove in each aperture may be located so that the fiberends are positioned at a desired location with respect to the lightsensitive elements.

The fibers may be bent on top of a bending structure. The bendingstructure may form an integral part of the substrate at the firstsurface side of the substrate, or the bending structure may be atemporary removable structure. The bending of the fibers may beperformed by bending a portion of the fibers over a curved section ofthe bending structure so that the curvature of the bent part of theportion of fibers follows the curvature of the bending structure. Theapertures in the substrate may be arranged in a two-dimensional arrayhaving rows, the fibers each having a length of fiber extending out fromthe apertures at the first surface side of the substrate, and thebending of the fibers may be performed by bending the fibers insertedinto a first row of the apertures over a curved section of the bendingstructure so that the curvature of the bent part of the fibers in thefirst row of the apertures follows the curvature of the bendingstructure. The bending of fibers inserted into a next adjacent row ofthe apertures may be performed by bending the fibers inserted into thenext adjacent row of apertures over the curved section of the fibersinserted into the first row of apertures. The bending of fibers insertedinto a each row of the apertures may be performed by bending the fibersover the curved section of the fibers inserted into the preceding row ofapertures.

Bonding the bent fibers together may comprise: forming a mold around theplurality of bent fibers; filling the mold with an adhesive material;and curing the adhesive material. The resulting bonded structureincreases the stiffness and structural integrity of the bent fibers.

In another aspect the invention provides an arrangement of opticalfibers comprising: a substrate having a first surface and an opposingsecond surface, the substrate being provided with a plurality ofapertures extending through the substrate from the first surface to thesecond surface; a plurality of fibers, each fiber having a fiber endwith a diameter smaller than the smallest diameter of a correspondingaperture in the substrate. Each fiber is inserted from the first surfaceside of the substrate into the corresponding aperture so that the fiberend is positioned in close proximity of the second surface, the fiberhaving a length extending from the aperture out from the first surface.The extending length of each fiber is bent in a predetermined directionso that the fiber abuts a side wall of the corresponding aperture at apredetermined position, and the extending lengths of the fibers arebonded together using an adhesive.

The apertures in the substrate may be arranged in an array at positionscorresponding to an array of light sensitive elements, so that the fiberends are positioned so that light emitted from the fiber ends isdirected onto the light sensitive elements.

The extending lengths of the fibers may be all bent in the samedirection. The apertures in the substrate may be arranged in atwo-dimensional array having rows, the fibers inserted into a first rowof the apertures having a portion of their extending lengths bent at afirst radius of curvature, and the fibers inserted into a next adjacentrow of the apertures having a portion of their extending lengths bent ata second greater radius of curvature. Alternatively, the apertures inthe substrate may be arranged in a two-dimensional array having rows,and all of the fibers inserted into each row of the apertures may have aportion of their extending lengths bent at a same radius of curvature,and the radius of curvature of the fibers of each row may also be thesame.

At least a portion of the extending lengths of the fibers may be stackedin a predefined spatial arrangement, and may be stacked in a rectangulararrangement. At least a portion of the extending fiber lengths may bearranged to run substantially parallel to the first surface. At least aportion of the extending fiber lengths may be arranged to runsubstantially parallel to each other in the same direction in apredetermined spatial arrangement. The predetermined spatial arrangementmay comprise equidistant spacing of the extending fiber lengths in anarray formation, and spacing elements may be located between theextending fiber lengths to position the extending fiber lengths withrespect to each other.

At least a portion of the extending lengths of the fibers may be bondedtogether using an adhesive. The fiber ends may be secured within theapertures, and an adhesive may be used to secure the fiber ends. Theadhesive for bonding the extending lengths and/or the fiber ends maycomprise a glue, an epoxy, or an epoxy encapsulant.

At least a portion of the extending lengths of the fibers may be bent asdescribed herein, stacked in a spatial arrangement as described herein,and bonded together as described herein to form a unitary structure.This unitary structure may be substantially rigid, and may be enclosedin an enclosing structure.

The apertures may have a cross-sectional shape consisting of a circularportion and an additional portion in the form of a groove, and thefibers may be bent in such a direction that the predetermined positionat which the fibers abut the side wall of the apertures is within theadditional portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the invention will be further explained withreference to embodiments shown in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a maskless lithography system that may beused in embodiments of the inventions;

FIG. 2 schematically shows the operation of an embodiment of the beamletblanker array in the lithography system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of a modular lithography system;

FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of abeamlet blanker array that may be used in the lithography system of FIG.1;

FIG. 5 schematically shows a top view of a lay-out of a beamlet blankerarray that may be used in embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 schematically shows a top view of a more detailed lay-out of abeamlet blanker array that may be used in embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7A schematically shows an optical fiber arrangement on top of thebeamlet blanker array of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7B schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the arrangementshown in FIG. 7A along the line VIIB-VIIB′;

FIG. 8 schematically shows a more detailed view of the alignment betweenoptical fibers and corresponding light sensitive elements;

FIGS. 9A, 9B schematically show two different ways of connecting a fiberarray substrate to a blanker array;

FIG. 10 schematically shows yet another way of aligning a fiber arraysubstrate to a blanker array;

FIG. 11 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of afiber array substrate;

FIGS. 12A, 12B schematically show a top view of an aperture in a fiberarray substrate;

FIG. 13 schematically shows a gripping device that may be used to forman arrangement of optical fibers;

FIGS. 14A-14E depict different stages in a method of forming anarrangement of optical fibers according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 15 depicts a cross-sectional view of a spatial arrangement offibers being prepared using the method shown in FIGS. 14A-14E;

FIG. 16 schematically shows another embodiment of the optical fiberarrangement; and

FIG. 17 shows a bonded fiber arrangement positioned on a surface of abeamlet blanker array.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The following is a description of various embodiments of the invention,given by way of example only and with reference to the figures. Thefigures are not drawn to scale and merely intended for illustrativepurposes.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic drawing of an embodiment of acharged particle multi-beamlet lithography system 1. The lithographysystem 1 suitably comprises a beamlet generator generating a pluralityof beamlets, a beamlet modulator patterning the beamlets to formmodulated beamlets, and a beamlet projector for projecting the modulatedbeamlets onto a surface of a target.

The beamlet generator typically comprises a source and at least one beamsplitter. The source in FIG. 1 is an electron source 3 arranged toproduce a substantially homogeneous, expanding electron beam 4. The beamenergy of the electron beam 4 is preferably maintained relatively low inthe range of about 1 to 10 keV. To achieve this, the accelerationvoltage is preferably low, and the electron source 3 may be kept at avoltage between about −1 to −10 kV with respect to the target at groundpotential, although other settings may also be used.

In FIG. 1 the electron beam 4 from the electron source 3 passes acollimator lens 5 for collimating the electron beam 4. The collimatorlens 5 may be any type of collimating optical system. Beforecollimation, the electron beam 4 may pass a double octopole (not shown).Subsequently, the electron beam 4 impinges on a beam splitter, in theembodiment of FIG. 1 an aperture array 6. The aperture array 6preferably comprises a plate having through-holes. The aperture array 6is arranged to block part of the beam 4. Additionally, the array 6allows a plurality of beamlets 7 to pass through so as to produce aplurality of parallel electron beamlets 7.

The lithography system 1 of FIG. 1 generates a large number of beamlets7, preferably about 10,000 to 1,000,000 beamlets, although it is ofcourse possible that more or less beamlets are generated. Note thatother known methods may also be used to generate collimated beamlets. Asecond aperture array may be added in the system, so as to createsubbeams from the electron beam 4 and to create electron beamlets 7 fromthe subbeam. This allows for manipulation of the subbeams furtherdownstream, which turns out beneficial for the system operation,particularly when the number of beamlets in the system is 5,000 or more.

The beamlet modulator, denoted in FIG. 1 as modulation system 8,typically comprises a beamlet blanker array 9 comprising an arrangementof a plurality of blankers, and a beamlet stop array 10. The blankersare capable of deflecting one or more of the electron beamlets 7. Inembodiments of the invention, the blankers are more specificallyelectrostatic deflectors provided with a first electrode, a secondelectrode and an aperture. The electrodes are then located on opposingsides of the aperture for generating an electric field across theaperture. Generally, the second electrode is a ground electrode, i.e. anelectrode connected to ground potential.

To focus the electron beamlets 7 within the plane of the

blanker array 9 the lithography system may further comprise a condenserlens array (not shown).

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the beamlet stop array 10 comprises anarray of apertures for allowing beamlets to pass through. The beamletstop array 10, in its basic form, comprises a substrate provided withthrough-holes, typically round holes although other shapes may also beused. In some embodiments, the substrate of the beamlet stop array 10 isformed from a silicon wafer with a regularly spaced array ofthrough-holes, and may be coated with a surface layer of a metal toprevent surface charging. In some further embodiments, the metal is of atype that does not form a native-oxide skin, such as CrMo.

The beamlet blanker array 9 and the beamlet stop array 10 operatetogether to block or let pass the beamlets 7. In some embodiments, theapertures of the beamlet stop array 10 are aligned with the apertures ofthe electrostatic deflectors in the beamlet blanker array 9. If beamletblanker array 9 deflects a beamlet, it will not pass through thecorresponding aperture in the beamlet stop array 10. Instead the beamletwill be blocked by the substrate of beamlet block array 10. If beamletblanker array 9 does not deflect a beamlet, the beamlet will passthrough the corresponding aperture in the beamlet stop array 10. In somealternative embodiments, cooperation between the beamlet blanker array 9and the beamlet stop array 10 is such that deflection of a beamlet by adeflector in the blanker array 9 results in passage of the beamletthrough the corresponding aperture in the beamlet stop array 10, whilenon-deflection results in blockage by the substrate of the beamlet stoparray 10.

The modulation system 8 is arranged to add a pattern to the beamlets 7on the basis of input provided by a control unit 20. The control unit 20may comprise a data storage unit 21, a read out unit 22 and dataconverter 23. The control unit 20 may be located remote from the rest ofthe system, for instance outside the inner part of a clean room. Thecontrol system may further be connected to an actuator system 16. Theactuator system is arranged for executing a relative movement of theelectron-optical column represented by the dashed line in FIG. 1 and atarget positioning system 14.

Modulated light beams 24 holding pattern data are transmitted to thebeamlet blanker array 9 using optical fibers. More particularly, themodulated light beams 24 from optical fiber ends are projected oncorresponding light sensitive elements located on the beamlet blankerarray 9. The light sensitive elements may be arranged to convert thelight signal into a different type of signal, for example an electricsignal. A modulated light beam 24 carries a portion of the pattern datafor controlling one or more blankers that are coupled to a correspondinglight sensitive element. In some embodiments, the light beams may, atleast partially, be transferred towards the light sensitive elements bymeans of an optical waveguide.

The modulated beamlets coming out of the beamlet modulator are projectedas a spot onto a target surface of a target 13 by the beamlet projector.The beamlet projector typically comprises a scanning deflector forscanning the modulated beamlets over the target surface and a projectionlens system for focusing the modulated beamlets onto the target surface.These components may be present within a single end module.

Such end module is preferably constructed as an insertable, replaceableunit. The end module may thus comprise a deflector array 11, and aprojection lens arrangement 12. The insertable, replaceable unit mayalso include the beamlet stop array 10 as discussed above with referenceto the beamlet modulator. After leaving the end module, the beamlets 7impinge on a target surface positioned at a target plane. Forlithography applications, the target 13 usually comprises a waferprovided with a charged-particle sensitive layer or resist layer.

The deflector array 11 may take the form of a scanning deflector arrayarranged to deflect each beamlet 7 that passed the beamlet stop array10. The deflector array 11 may comprise a plurality of electrostaticdeflectors enabling the application of relatively small drivingvoltages. Although the deflector array 11 is drawn upstream of theprojection lens arrangement 12, the deflector array 11 may also bepositioned between the projection lens arrangement 12 and the targetsurface.

The projection lens arrangement 12 is arranged to focus the beamlets 7,before or after deflection by the deflector array 11. Preferably, thefocusing results a geometric spot size of about 10 to 30 nanometers indiameter. In such preferred embodiment, the projection lens arrangement12 is preferably arranged to provide a demagnification of about 100 to500 times, most preferably as large as possible, e.g. in the range 300to 500 times. In this preferred embodiment, the projection lensarrangement 12 may be advantageously located close to the targetsurface.

In some embodiments, a beam protector (not shown) may be located betweenthe target surface and the projection lens arrangement 12. The beamprotector may be a foil or a plate provided with a plurality of suitablypositioned apertures. The beam protector is arranged to absorb thereleased resist particles before they can reach any of the sensitiveelements in the lithography system 1.

The projection lens arrangement 12 may thus ensure that the spot size ofa single pixel on the target surface is correct, while the deflectorarray 11 may ensure by appropriate scanning operations that the positionof a pixel on the target surface is correct on a microscale.Particularly, the operation of the deflector array 11 is such that apixel fits into a grid of pixels which ultimately constitutes thepattern on the target surface. It will be understood that the macroscalepositioning of the pixel on the target surface is suitably enabled by atarget positioning system 14.

Commonly, the target surface comprises a resist film on top of asubstrate. Portions of the resist film will be chemically modified byapplication of the beamlets of charged particles, i.e. electrons. As aresult thereof, the irradiated portion of the film will be more or lesssoluble in a developer, resulting in a resist pattern on a wafer. Theresist pattern on the wafer can subsequently be transferred to anunderlying layer, i.e. by implementation, etching and/or depositionsteps as known in the art of semiconductor manufacturing. Evidently, ifthe irradiation is not uniform, the resist may not be developed in auniform manner, leading to mistakes in the pattern. High-qualityprojection is therefore relevant to obtain a lithography system thatprovides a reproducible result. No difference in irradiation ought toresult from deflection steps.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the operation of an embodiment of the beamletblanker array 9 in the lithography system of FIG. 1. In particular, FIG.2 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a beamletmodulator comprising a beamlet blanker array 9 and beamlet stop array10. The beamlet blanker array 9 is provided with a plurality ofapertures. For sake of reference the target 13 has also been indicated.The figure is not drawn to scale.

The shown portion of the beamlet modulator is arranged to modulate threebeamlets 7a, 7b, and 7c. The beamlets 7a, 7b, 7c may form part of asingle group of beamlets that may be generated from a beam originatingfrom a single source or from a single subbeam. The beamlet modulator ofFIG. 2 is arranged for converging groups of beamlets towards a commonpoint of convergence P for each group. This common point of convergenceP is preferably located on an optical axis O for the group of beamlets.

Considering the shown beamlets 7a, 7b, 7c in FIG. 2, beamlets 7a, 7chave an incident angle extending between the beamlet and the opticalaxis O. The orientation of beamlet 7b is substantially parallel to theoptical axis. The direction of beamlet deflection to establish blockingof deflected beamlets by the substrate of the beamlet stop array 10 maybe different for each beamlet. Beamlet 7a is blocked by deflectiontowards the left, i.e. towards the “−”-direction in FIG. 2, indicated bydashed line 7a−. Beamlets 7b, 7c on the other hand are to be deflectedtowards the right, i.e. towards the “+”-direction, to establishedblocking of the respective beamlets. These blocking directions areindicated by dashed lines 7b+ and 7c+ respectively. Note that the choiceof deflection direction may not be arbitrary. For example, for beamlet7a, dashed line 7a+ shows that deflection of beamlet 7a towards theright would result in passage through the beamlet stop array 10.Therefore, deflection of beamlet 7a along line 7a+ would beinappropriate. On the other hand, deflection of beamlet 7b towards theleft, indicated by dashed line 7b−, would be an option.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of a modular lithography system50. The lithography system is preferably designed in a modular fashionto permit ease of maintenance. Major subsystems are preferablyconstructed in self-contained and removable modules, so that they can beremoved from the lithography machine with as little disturbance to othersubsystems as possible. This is particularly advantageous for alithography machine enclosed in a vacuum chamber, where access to themachine is limited. Thus, a faulty subsystem can be removed and replacedquickly, without unnecessarily disconnecting or disturbing othersystems.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 these modular subsystems include anillumination optics module 81 including a charged particle beam source71 and a beam collimating system 72, an aperture array and condenserlens module 82 including an aperture array 73 and a condenser lens array74, a beam switching module 83 including a beamlet blanker array 75, anda projection optics module 84 including a beam stop array 76, a beamdeflector array 77, and projection lens arrays 78. The modules may bedesigned to slide in and out from an alignment frame. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 3, the alignment frame comprises an alignment innersub-frame 85 and an alignment outer sub-frame 86. The projection opticsmodule 84 may be connected to at least one of the alignment innersub-frame 85 and the alignment outer sub-frame 86 by means of one ormore flexures.

Abovementioned components in the illumination optics module 81, theaperture array and condenser lens module 82, the beam switching module83 and the projection optics module 84 may be arranged to operate incorrespondence to the functionality of similar components in thelithography system 1 of FIG. 1.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a frame 88 supports the alignmentsub-frames 85 and 86 via vibration damping mounts 87. In thisembodiment, a wafer 55 rests on a wafer table 89, which is in turnmounted on further supporting structure 90. The combination of wafertable 89 and further supporting structure 90 may hereafter also bereferred to as chuck 90. The chuck 90 sits on the stage short stroke 91and long stroke 92. The lithography machine is enclosed in vacuumchamber 60, which preferably includes a mu metal shielding layer orlayers 65. The machine rests on a base plate 95 supported by framemembers 96.

Each module may require a large number of electrical signals and/oroptical signals, and electrical power for its operation. The modulesinside the vacuum chamber receive these signals from one or more controlsystems 99, which are typically located outside of the chamber. Thevacuum chamber 60 includes openings, referred to as ports, for admittingcables carrying the signals from the control systems into the vacuumhousing while maintaining a vacuum seal around the cables. Each modulepreferably has its collection of electrical, optical, and/or powercabling connections routed through one or more ports dedicated to thatmodule. This enables the cables for a particular module to bedisconnected, removed, and replaced without disturbing cables for any ofthe other modules. In some embodiments, a patch panel may be providedwithin the vacuum chamber 60. The patch panel comprises one or moreconnectors for removably connecting one or more connections of themodules. One or more ports may be used for admitting the one or moreconnections of the removable modules into the vacuum chamber.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of abeamlet blanker array 9 that may be used in the lithography system ofFIG. 1. The beamlet blanker array 9 comprises a plurality of modulators101. A modulator comprises a first electrode 103a, a second electrode103b, and an aperture 105. The electrodes 103a, 103b are located onopposing sides of the aperture 105 for generating an electric fieldacross the aperture.

A light sensitive element 107 is arranged to receive pattern datacarrying light beams (not shown). The light sensitive element 107 iselectrically connected to one or more modulators 101 via an electricalconnection 109. The light sensitive element 107 receives pattern datavia the light beams, converts the light signal into an electrical signaland then forwards the received and converted pattern data via theelectrical connection 109 towards the one or more connected modulators101. The one or more modulators 101 then modulate passing chargedparticle beamlets, such as electron beamlets 7 in accordance with thereceived pattern data. The light sensitive element 107 may be providedwith an anti-reflection coating 108 to reduce background radiationcaused by reflected light, which may disturb a correct readout of thedata carried by the light beam.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a top view of a lay-out of a beamlet blankerarray 9 that may be used in embodiments of the invention. The beamletblanker array 9 shown in FIG. 5 is divided into beam areas 121 andnon-beam areas 122. Although the width of the beam areas 121 andnon-beam areas 122 are shown to be about the same, this is notessential. The dimensions of the areas may differ based on the layoutused.

The beam areas 121 include one or more modulators for modulatingbeamlets. The non-beam areas 122 include one or more light sensitiveelements. The use of beam areas 121 and non-beam areas 122 in an opticalcolumn in a maskless lithography system has the advantage that thedensity of modulators and light sensitive area can be increased.

Although the beam areas 121 and the non-beam areas 122 are shown in anarrangement forming a perfect rectangle, the areas may actually form askew arrangement to allow for an optimal projection of beamlets onto thetarget surface, as will be understood by a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a top view of a more detailed lay-out of aportion of a beamlet blanker array 9 that may be used in embodiments ofthe invention. The blanker array portion includes a beam area 121surrounded by an area reserved for a shielding structure 141. Thebeamlet blanker array 9 further includes a non-beam area, whicheffectively is all the space that is not reserved for the beam area 121and the shielding structure 141. The shielding structure 141 is arrangedto substantially shield electric fields that are externally generated,for example in the proximity of light sensitive elements, such asphotodiodes, within the non-beam areas.

The shielding structure 141 can be described as comprising side wallsforming an open-ended box-like structure. Note that the shieldingstructure 141 is not necessarily physically connected to the beamletblanker array 9. If located within sufficiently close distance of thebeamlet blanker array 9 the shielding structure 141 can stillsufficiently shield electric fields.

Materials suitable for the shielding structure 111 are materials withsufficiently high electric conductivity. Additionally, the materialshould have sufficient strength and workability. An exemplary suitablematerial for use as main component of the shielding structure istitanium (Ti). Other exemplary materials that may be used includemolybdenum (Mo) and aluminum (Al). In an exemplary embodiment, theshielding structure is made using Ti-plates coated with Mo. In anotherexemplary embodiment the shielding structure includes a stack of Mosheets with Al spacers.

The beamlet blanker array portion of FIG. 6 further includes an opticalinterface area 143 reserved for establishing an optical interfacebetween optical fibers arranged for carrying light signals and lightsensitive elements within the beamlet blanker array 9. The lightsensitive elements, such as photodiodes, are thus placed within theoptical interface area 143. The optical fibers may cover the entireoptical interface area 143 or a portion thereof The optical fibers aresuitably arranged so that they do not physically block electron beamletswithin the beam area 121 during use of the lithography system.

Additionally, the non-beam area of the beamlet blanker array 9 includesa power interface area 145. The power interface area 145 is arranged toaccommodate a power arrangement for suitably powering the lightsensitive elements, and optionally other components, within the opticalinterface area 143. The power arrangement 145 may extend in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to, and away from the blanker array 9. Sucharrangement 145 may enable the spread of the power lines over a largesurface area, which improves the efficiency and reduces losses, e.g. dueto a reduced thermal resistance caused by an increased radiation surfacearea.

The position of the power interface area 145 on the sides of the opticalinterface area 143 enables the use of relatively short power supplylines to the light sensitive elements. Consequently, the variation involtage drop between different power lines, i.e. connections with nearbylight sensitive elements versus connections with light sensitiveelements further away, can be reduced.

The non-beam area may further include an additional interface area 147to enable the accommodation of further circuitry, for example a clockand/or a control. The power arrangement within the power interface area145 may also be arranged to provide sufficient power to the additionalinterface area 147.

Although FIG. 6 schematically shows a very specific lay-out of theseveral areas, it will be understood that it is possible to have adifferent lay-out. Similarly, the size and shape of the differentinterface areas may vary in dependence of the specific application.

FIG. 7A schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of an optical fiberarrangement 161 selectively placed over the beamlet blanker array 9 ofFIG. 5. The optical fiber arrangement 161 comprises a plurality ofoptical fibers 163 arranged to guide pattern data carrying light beamstowards the light sensitive elements within the non-beam areas 122. Thefibers 163 are positioned such that they do not hinder a passage ofcharged particle beamlets arranged to pass through the apertures withinthe beam area 121 of the beamlet blanker array 9.

The exemplary optical fiber arrangement 161 of FIG. 7A comprises twoportions per non-beam area 122. A first portion 161a comprises a numberof fibers 163 that enter a space above the non-beam area 122 from oneside, while the second portion 161b comprises a number of fibers 163entering the space above the non-beam area 122 at an opposing side. Thenumber of fibers 163 within each portion 161a, 161b may be equal to eachother. The use of different portions allows for more space per fiber163, and reduces the risk of damaging the fibers 163.

Alternatively, all fibers 163 may enter the space above the non-beamarea 122 from one side. In such case, the other side may be used toaccommodate power circuitry, for example to supply power to power lineswithin the power interface in the power interface area 145 in FIG. 6.Furthermore, the entry of fibers at one side may simplify maintenanceoperations. For example, in case of fiber replacement, only one side ofthe system needs to be dismantled.

FIG. 7B schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the arrangementshown in FIG. 7A along the line VIIB-VIIB′. The fibers 163 within thearrangement 161 terminate in a body 165 forming a fiber array. The body165 typically takes the form of a substrate, and will hereafter bereferred to as substrate 165. The ends of the fibers within thesubstrate 165 are directed towards the light sensitive elements (notshown) within the non-beam area of the beamlet blanker array 9. As willbe discussed in more detail, the substrate 165 is placed in closeproximity of, and secured, or fixated, to the surface of the beamletblanker array 9. Such position minimizes alignment errors due to poorlyoriented fibers 163 within the substrate 165.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a more detailed view of the alignment betweenoptical fibers 163 within the substrate 165 and corresponding lightsensitive elements 107 within the non-beam area of the blanker array 9.The substrate 165 is placed in close proximity to the light sensitiveelements 107, preferably at a distance smaller than about 100 microns,more preferably at a distance smaller than about 50 microns. Due to theshort distance between the light sensitive elements 107 and the fiberends, optical communication using light beams 170 can be achieved withreduced light loss.

The alignment of the fibers 163 in the substrate 165 and the lightsensitive elements 107 in the blanker array 9 is fixed. This can be doneafter an alignment procedure, which may include the use of markers, suchas optical markers, on the blanker array 9. Alternatively, both thesubstrate 165 and the array of light sensitive elements 107 on theblanker array 9 are manufactured with sufficient precision thatalignment of the two structures with respect to each other leads tosufficient alignment between corresponding fibers 163 and lightsensitive elements 107. In case test results before actual operation ofthe lithography system show that a combination of a specific fiber 163and a corresponding light sensitive element 107 does not performaccording to the predetermined specifications, such combination may beexcluded by the control unit during lithographic processing.

FIGS. 9A, 9B schematically show two different ways of connecting asubstrate 165 to a blanker array 9. In both FIGS. 9A, 9B, only a singlecombination of a fiber 163 and a light sensitive element 107 is shown.

In FIG. 9A the substrate 165 is connected to the blanker array 9 usingan adhesive 175. The adhesive 175 may be a suitable glue, for example anepoxy glue. The adhesive 175 contacts the blanker array 9 such thatthere is no contact between the adhesive and the light sensitive element107. This way of fixating allows for the use of small quantities ofadhesive, and is easy to execute.

As also shown in FIG. 8, the light beams 170 exiting the fibers 163diverge. As a result, the beam spot size on the surface of the blankerarray 9 increases with an increase of the distance between the substrate165 and the blanker array 9. Furthermore, the light intensity of thebeam spot per unit area decreases. Therefore, an increase in distancebetween the substrate 165 and the blanker array 9 may reduce the portionof the light beam 170 that can be captured by the light sensitiveelement 107. In particular in case the light spot formed on the lightsensitive element 107 is designed to entirely fall within the lightsensitive surface of the light sensitive element 107, alignment errorsmay have a more profound effect in case the distance between thesubstrate 165 and the blanker array 9 becomes too large.

In some cases, in particular when it is not desirable to reduce thedistance between the fiber and the light sensitive element, fixating ispreferably done using a suitable transparent adhesive layer 177,sometimes referred to as underlay, as schematically shown in FIG. 9B.The transparent adhesive layer 177 is in contact with a large portion ofboth the blanker array 9 and the substrate 165, and may act as a fillersuch as Silica which effectively fills the gap between the blanker array9 and the substrate 165. Preferably, the transparent adhesive layer 177is of a material with a thermal expansion coefficient as close aspossible to the materials of the substrate 165 and blanker array 9.

Contrary to adhesive 175 shown in FIG. 9A, the adhesive layer 177 usedin the embodiment of FIG. 9B is also in contact with the light sensitiveelement 107. The material within the adhesive layer 177 preferably has asufficiently high refractive index for reducing the opening angle of thelight beam 170 exiting the optical fiber 163. The use of the adhesivelayer 177 with a sufficiently high refractive index has the advantagethat the alignment tolerance is improved.

For example, in FIG. 9A, the light beam 170 exiting the optical fiber163 has an opening angle a that is such that the light sensitive element107 is entirely covered. However, if the alignment between the opticalfiber 163 and the light sensitive element 107 is not perfect, a portionof the light will not fall onto the light sensitive element 107.Consequently, the light output received by the light sensitive element107 readily decreases upon imperfect alignment.

In FIG. 9B, due to the presence of the adhesive layer 177 comprising amaterial with a sufficiently high refractive index, the opening angle ofthe light exiting the fiber 163 has an opening angle α′, where angle α′is smaller than angle α. The smaller opening angle reduces the spot sizeof the beamlet that falls onto the light sensitive element, while thelight output of the spot is the same. Consequently, as schematicallyshown in FIG. 9B, even in case the optical fiber 163 and the lightsensitive element are misaligned over a distance dx, the light sensitiveelement 107 still captures the entire beam 170, and the light outputreceived by the light sensitive element merely starts to reduce ifmisalignment becomes greater than such distance dx. The embodiment shownin FIG. 9B is thus less susceptible to reduced performance caused bysmall alignment errors.

A suitable material for the adhesive layer 177 is an epoxy adhesive orglue substantially transparent to the light emitted by the fiber 163 andhaving a sufficiently high refractive index, for example higher than1.4, preferably higher than about 1.5.

It will be recognized that other fixating constructions may be used aswell. For example, the substrate 165 and the blanker array 9 may beconnected by using connector elements such as Dowel pins.

Furthermore, at least one of the beamlet blanker array and the fixatedfiber substrate may be provided with one or more mutual locatingelements. Examples of such location elements include, but are notlimited to a protrusion and a stop.

Another possibility to limit the influence of alignment errors is tomake the spot size of the light beam 170 is greater than the lightsensitive surface of the light sensitive element 107, as schematicallydepicted in FIG. 10. In such case, the intensity of the light beamportion that is projected onto the light sensitive element 107 should besufficient for proper operation thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 10,assuming the light is substantially homogeneously distributed throughoutthe beam 170, misalignment of the optical fiber 163 with respect to thelight sensitive element 107 over a distance dx or less does not have aninfluence on the amount of light being captured by the light sensitiveelement 107. The light output received by the light sensitive element107 starts to reduce if the misalignment exceeds such distance dx.Consequently, the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is less susceptible toreduced performance caused by small alignment errors.

FIG. 11 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of afiber array. The fiber array comprises a substrate 165 with a pluralityof apertures 180 arranged for accommodating a plurality of fibers 163.For purposes of clarity, only a single aperture 180 and correspondingfiber 163 is shown in FIG. 11.

The substrate 165 has a fiber receiving surface side 185a, also referredto as first surface, and a light transmitting surface side 185b, alsoreferred to as second surface. The apertures 180 extend through thesubstrate from the first surface to the second surface. The fiber 163comprises a transmitting end 186a and a trailing end 186b. The length ofthe fiber 163 is typically much longer than the length shown in FIG. 11.

Placement of the fibers 163 in the apertures 180 may be done byinserting the fibers 163 in the apertures 180 from the first surfaceside such that a fiber end extends through at least the majority of theaperture 180. In other words, the light transmitting end 186a of thefiber 163 is in close proximity of the second surface side 185b of thesubstrate 165. After insertion, the one or more fibers 163 are bent suchthat the fiber extends in a direction that differs from the direction ofthe center line through the aperture (denoted in FIG. 11 by dashed line181).

The placement technique described above and schematically depicted inFIG. 11 makes use of the resilience of the fiber 163. This resilienceforces the fiber 163 towards a side of the aperture 180 (in FIG. 11 theside wall on the left side). In other words, the fiber bending applies apre-load between fiber 163 and substrate 165 which moves the fibertowards an aperture side. Consequently, by bending the fiber 163 in apredetermined direction, the fiber 163 abuts a side wall of the aperture180 at a predetermined position, i.e. generally opposite to thedirection into which the fiber 163 is bent. The force that is createddue to the bending depends on the stiffness of the fiber 163 and itsbending radius. To minimize displacement and/or deformation of thesubstrate as a result of a force exerted by a bent fiber 163 onto theside wall of the aperture 180, the substrate 165 is preferably securedduring fiber placement, for example by using a chucking arrangement,such as a vacuum chuck arrangement.

The aperture size is preferably large compared to the outer diameter ofthe fiber 163 to improve the fiber placing tolerance. Typically, anoptical fiber 163 comprises a core surrounded by a cladding layer, whichin its turn is surrounded by an outer coating or “jacket”. In someembodiments, the fibers 163 are stripped prior to insertion, i.e. theouter coating is removed. In some other embodiments, the fibers 163 arenot stripped. In case the portions of the fibers 163 that are to beinserted in the apertures 180 are stripped, the aperture size ispreferably greater than the diameter of the fiber core and the claddinglayer. In case the fibers 163 are not stripped, the aperture size 180 ispreferably greater than the outer diameter of the fibers 163 includingthe outer coating. Most preferably, the aperture diameter is greaterthan the outer diameter of the unstripped fiber 163 to allow the use ofunstripped fibers within the substrate 165. The use of unstripped fibers163 reduces the time consumed by fiber pre-processing because there isno need to strip the fibers 163.

After insertion and bending of the fiber 163, the fiber 163 may besecured, also referred to as fixated or fixation. Fixation may beachieved by using an adhesive, such as a suitable glue. Preferably, theadhesive has a low viscosity of about 100-500 mPas to allow capillaryforces to distribute the adhesive in contact with the fiber 163.Furthermore, the thermal expansion coefficient of the adhesive ispreferably as close as possible to the material of the substrate 165. Insome embodiments, the adhesive is curable with UV light.

Alternatively, the adhesive may be curable in a different way, forexample by applying heat. Generally, curing is time consuming.Therefore, securing of the fibers 165 is preferably done after insertionand bending of all fibers 163.

Alternatively, or additionally, it is also possible to use a differenttype of fixation, such as mechanical clamping. In case of the use of anadhesive, the adhesive may be provided onto the light transmitting fiberend 186a prior to placement of the fiber 163 in the aperture 180. Suchprocedure allows for accurate placement of the adhesive onto the fiberend 186a, while the amount of adhesive being used may be limited. Curingof the adhesive may then take place after bending the respective fiber163 or after insertion and bending of all other fibers.

To enhance the position tolerance of the fiber 163, the aperture 170preferably has a shape that guides the fiber 163 to abovementionedpredetermined position as a result of fiber bending. FIGS. 12A, 12Bschematically show a top view of an aperture 180 in a substrate 165where the aperture 180 has an asymmetric shape to enable the fiber tomove towards a predetermined position during bending. Thecross-sectional shape of the aperture 180 has two portions 191, 192. Thefirst portion 191 is a circular portion 191 (denoted by the white dashedcircle) with a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the fiberportion that is to be inserted in the aperture 180. The second portion192 is an additional portion directly adjacent to the circular portion191 and takes the form of a groove. The shown shape of the additionalportion 192 is a mere example. It will be well understood thatalternative shapes may be used as well.

If, in the aperture shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, a fiber 163 is inserted inthe aperture 180 and then bent to the right, the fiber 163 will beforced to position itself in the additional “groove-shaped” portion 192of the aperture 180 in a way as schematically shown in FIG. 12B. Due tothe shape of the additional portion 192 the fiber position at which thefiber 163 sticks can be anticipated. The shape and size of theadditional portion 174 thus enable the fiber 163 to position itself at apredetermined position at which the fiber abuts a side wall of theaperture. The shape and size of the additional portion 192 may betailored to the type and/or size of the fiber 163 being used.

FIG. 13 schematically shows a gripping device 200 that may be used toform an arrangement of optical fibers, such as a fiber array asdiscussed above. The gripping device 200 comprises a first gripper 210,a second gripper 220 and a third gripper 230. The first gripper 210 isarranged for holding the fiber 163 at a position closer to the trailingend 186b than to the light transmitting end 186a. The first gripper 210may include a groove, such as a V-groove 211 for that purpose. Thesecond gripper 220 is arranged for holding the fiber 163 at a positioncloser to the light transmitting end 186a than to the trailing end 186b.The second gripper 220 may also include a groove, such as a V-groove 221for that purpose. The third gripper 230 is arranged for fixating thefiber for gluing. The third gripper may include a notch for thatpurpose. The gripping device 200 may be arranged to apply a pre-loadonto the fiber such that the fiber is slightly pre-bend prior toinsertion in a corresponding aperture. Applying a pre-load alleviatesfiber handling.

FIGS. 14A-14F depict different stages in a method of forming anarrangement of optical fibers according to an embodiment of theinvention. As is clear from these drawings, different types of grippingdevices may be used.

FIG. 14A shows a situation in which the gripping device 200 is part of alarger apparatus comprising a rotating member 240 and a bendingstructure 250. The gripping device is mounted onto the rotating member240 such that it can rotate in a direction that enables the grippingdevice 200 to bend the fiber 163.

In the shown embodiment, the gripping device is arranged to insert thefiber 163 in the corresponding aperture and then to bend the fiber 163using the bending structure 250. The bending is then such that theportion of the fiber 163 that extends from the first surface of thefiber array substrate can be bent over the bending structure 250, or, incase other fibers 163 are already bent on top of this structure 250,over already bent fibers 163. The bending structure 250 enables bendingwith a predetermined curvature. A side view of the actual bending overthe bending structure 250 is shown in FIG. 14B.

Preferably, in particular in case other fibers 163 have been bentearlier, prior to completion of bending, an adhesive 260 is applied toadhere the bent fiber onto a fiber 163 that has been bent earlier.Preferably, the fibers are stacked on top of each other in apredetermined spatial arrangement, for example a rectangular arrangementas schematically shown in FIG. 15. In a rectangular arrangement thefibers have a predetermined length. Knowledge of this length may improvethe accuracy of controlling signals sent through the fibers.

After positioning the fiber 163 on top of another fiber 163, thegripping device 200 may be used to fixate the upper fiber 163 forenabling curing of the adhesive 260 being applied previously. For thispurpose, the third gripper 230 may be used, for example by employing asuitable notch. This situation is shown in FIG. 14D.

FIG. 14E shows the situation in which the last fiber is put on top. Thepacket of fibers is depicted as a hatched area.

FIG. 16 schematically shows an embodiment of the optical fiberarrangement in which the fibers 163 are, after placement in theapertures and subsequent bending, secured by using an adhesive material360, for example a suitable glue. As shown in this embodiment, thefibers 163 may extend through the apertures. Preferably, the heightdifferences of the fibers 163 extending through the apertures in thesubstrate 165 is less than 0.2 microns. This may be achieved bypolishing the substrate after placement and fixation of the fibers 163.

The fibers 163 may be guided towards the apertures via a supporting unit350 that is connected, permanently or temporarily, to the substrate 165.The supporting unit 350 may simplify the bending of fibers 163.Furthermore, the presence of the supporting unit 350 may avoid thatdefects, such as kinks, develop during the bending process. The entirearrangement of fibers 163 and substrate 165 may be strengthened evenfurther by connecting the fibers 163 to each other, and, in case thesupporting unit 350 is permanent, preferably also to the supporting unit350, for example by using an adhesive 260. The adhesive 360 used withinthe apertures of the substrate 165 may be the same as the adhesive 260.Fixating the fibers 163 into the fixation substrate 165 provides arobust fiber array which provides a reliable light output. Fixating thefibers 163 to each other, further improves the robustness of the design.

FIG. 17 shows a bonded fiber arrangement 410 that is positioned in closeproximity of a plurality of light sensitive elements positioned on asurface of a beamlet blanker array 400, for example a non-beam area 121as depicted in FIG. 5, a lay-out of which is further explained withreference to FIG. 6. Structure 420 relates to a shield for shieldingelectromagnetic radiation. To form a bonded structure a mold may beformed around the plurality of bent fibers, and the mold may then befilled with an adhesive material. Finally, the adhesive material iscured, e.g. by using one or more of UV-radiation, evaporation and heat.The resulting bonded structure is a robust structure that occupieslimited space.

The invention has been described by reference to certain embodimentsdiscussed above. It will be recognized that these embodiments aresusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms well known tothose of skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have beendescribed, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scopeof the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for forming an optical fiber array, themethod comprising: providing a substrate having a first surface and anopposing second surface, the substrate being provided with a pluralityof apertures extending through the substrate from the first surface tothe second surface; providing a plurality of fibers, the fibers havingfiber ends with a diameter smaller than the smallest diameter of theapertures; inserting a first fiber in a first corresponding aperture,from the first surface side of the substrate, such that the fiber end ofthe first fiber is positioned in close proximity of the second surface;bending the inserted first fiber in a predetermined direction such thatthe first fiber abuts a side wall of the first aperture at apredetermined position; after the first fiber is bent, inserting asecond fiber in a second corresponding aperture, from the first surfaceside of the substrate, such that the fiber end of the second fiber ispositioned in close proximity of the second surface; bending theinserted second fiber in conformity with a shape of the first fiber,such that the second fiber abuts a side wall of the second aperture at apredetermined position; and bonding the bent fibers together using anadhesive material.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality offibers are bent in conformity with a shape of one another, and arestacked on one another, such that the fibers together form a unitarybonded structure, comprising a first end on the substrate and a secondend in a remote area, wherein the unitary bounded structure has anelongated cross-section at the first end and at the second end.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fibers are bent in the samedirection, and are stacked on one another, such that the fibers togetherform a unitary bonded structure extending along a curve, wherein theunitary bonded structure has substantially uniform cross-sections onplanes transverse to the curve, wherein the cross-sections have anelongated shape.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: applyingan adhesive material onto the first fiber, prior to completion ofbending the second fiber.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:fixating the second fiber for enabling curing of an adhesive material,upon positioning the second fiber in contact with the first fiber. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a bending structureat the first surface side of the substrate, wherein bending the fiber ina predetermined direction comprises bending the fiber over the bendingstructure.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the bending structure isprovided temporarily, and is removed after the plurality of fibers arebent.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the bending structure is bondedtogether with the fibers using an adhesive material.
 9. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the plurality of fibers are bent with a predeterminedcurvature in conformity with a shape of the bending structure.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: applying a pre-load force onto afiber prior to inserting the fiber into an aperture.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of fibers are bent in the same direction.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the bent fibers are stacked in apredefined spatial arrangement.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein themethod further comprises securing the fiber ends within the apertures.14. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the fiber ends is executedafter insertion of the plurality of fibers in corresponding apertures inthe substrate.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the fiber ends aresecured by using an adhesive, the method further comprising, prior toinserting, applying an adhesive onto the fiber ends.
 16. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the apertures have a cross-sectional shape consistingof a circular portion and an additional portion in the form of a groove,and wherein the fibers are bent in such direction that the predeterminedposition at which the fibers abut the side wall of the apertures iswithin the additional portion.
 17. The method of claim 1, whereinbonding the bent fibers together comprises: forming a mold around theplurality of bent fibers; filling the mold with an adhesive material;and curing the adhesive material.
 18. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: inserting and bending a plurality of other fibers, whereinthe first fiber and the other inserted and bent fibers together form asupport for the second fiber, wherein bending the second fiber comprisesbending the second fiber over the support formed by the first fiber andthe other fibers.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the support forthe second fiber is formed without a rigid supporting member between thefirst and the other fibers.